Ahead of Manchester City's Champions League quarter-final tie against Atletico Madrid, there has been a lot of talk about the differences between the styles of the two teams and coaches.
The narrative is that the two matches will see a clash of completely opposing styles, that Pep Guardiola's brilliant attacking side will tirelessly work to break down the stubborn, anti-football Atletico of Diego Simeone. In reality, as Guardiola said during his pre-match press conference, that stereotype of the LaLiga champions is untrue and unfair; in some ways, City and Atletico are in fact quite similar.
"I'm not going to talk for one second about these stupid debates," Guardiola said of the idea that City play brilliant football and Atletico are just defensive. Thankfully he did go on to speak on the subject.
READ MORE: Man City manager Pep Guardiola slams 'stupid debate' around Atletico Madrid
"After watching Atletico there is a misconception, wrong, about the way he [Diego Simeone] plays. It's more offensive than people believe. He doesn't want to take a risk in the build-up but they have quality in the final third.
"They put the ball in wide areas, they are aggressive at winning the ball, when they win it they play. When the ball is in our half, how competitive they are depends on the position and movement. They know exactly how to play. In the moments of the game, in these situations they are really good."
Sound familiar? Of course there are obvious differences between the styles of the two sides: Atletico do at times employ a low defensive block, and are happy to cede possession in big European ties (see their wins at Liverpool and Manchester United over the past few years).
Atletico are at their most dangerous when counter-attacking, something that cannot be said of City. This season Guardiola has regularly made the point that City are not good on transitions. On a personnel level there are differences too - Atletico often play with two strikers, whereas City have none.
However, like Atletico, City try to avoid risks in the build-up at all costs. The way they do that might be different, but not messing around in dangerous areas of the pitch is an approach common to both. That's why, like Simeone, Guardiola has his players attack through wide areas and the channels rather than the centre of the pitch. if the ball is lost out wide, there is less immediate threat of a counter than if possession is lost in the middle.
Even when it comes to game management, the teams are by no means poles apart. When asked about winning ugly, Guardiola said: "My team won in Old Trafford 1-0 and Bernardo Silva spent five minutes in the corner - that is not ugly. It's defending the position."
"Everyone tries to win the game - if they win they are right, if we win we are right," Guardiola succinctly summed up. If City see off the challenge of Atletico and advance to the semi-finals, many will call it a triumph of attack over defence. If Atletico take inspiration from their underdog tag and cause an upset, then the phrases 'bus' and 'dark arts' will no doubt be bandied about.
What we see in the highlight reels of both teams may at first look different, but scratch beneath the surface and there are clear similarities between the work of two superb managers.
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